And the Final Results Are.....

Good news!
The test results were negative and I am starting to feel better.

Tip: Do not Google a disease you might or might not have while you are waiting for test results.  Seriously.  Resist the urge.

A Bit of Rock Balancing

After mowing, I decided to do a bit of rock balancing in the back yard.  Nothing too fancy for now:

Don't Touch That Dial! We'll Be Right Back with More After This

Dear readers,

I'm sick.

Really, really, sick.

The doctor's office says it is not Lyme disease from the tick I took back home as an unwelcome souvenir.  But they don't know what it is.

I just know that I feel miserable.

So I haven't forgotten you.  (Staring at the ceiling waiting for the room to stop spinning has actually given me lots of cool blogging ideas......)  I just can't write right now.  But I will.  Eventually.  I promise.

Hugs,
J.

Croatia: Fun at the Airport?

Rather than give you a whopping mass of Croatia photos and memories, I'm going to post a few pictures every couple of days in addition to my regular blogging.  That way we can spread out the fun!

One of my motto for travel is: Don't neglect the little moments.

So here is a little moment or two from the airport in Ottowa, Canada.  My beloved performed some magic tricks for a couple of interesting fellow travelers.  She is American, he is French, and they met in Mexico on vacation.  (That wasn't actually the quickest jumpstart to a relationship that we encountered on our travels -- we met a couple who got acquainted on a 45 minute flight from France to Ireland, leading to a long-distance Irish-American relationship and eventually many years of marriage.)

(How did we end up talking to total strangers?  You may well ask.  I do it all the time, and it makes for a much more interesting trip.  He asked the adjacent booth was taken, I said it wasn't and threw out a harmless remark about how tiring the "travel" part of traveling is, and we got to talking.)

The Revealing Side of Travel

Every time I travel, I learn something.  Usually multiple somethings.

For example, when I traveled with my sister Rachel and my mother to Europe I learned:

1.  I have a really strong personality which leads to me often getting my way.  It also means that I'm not particularly flexible, although I am very determined.  It also means that I have a hard time when things don't go the way I had planned -- I'm used to making things go my way by sheer willpower, if need be.

2.  I am a control freak.

Splash, and Other Unpleasant Basement Events

Tip: Don't forget that you left the sprinkler running near the house.

The above tip is also the answer to the question The Magician asked two days ago:
"Why is it wet over here?"

This is the carpet behind the sofa and adjacent, so to speak, to the aforementioned sprinkler:

 

This is the spot under the storage shelving that my nice husband made for us:

This is where the stored stuff is now:

And here is his first foray into the wonderful world of Where Is the Water Coming From?

I've decided to dub the orange carpet "1960s indecision" because it's psychedelic AND cammo, or "we don't know how we feel about Vietnam."  I can almost visual the entire floor that color except that it would induce seizures.

We’ve used towels, a mop and bucket, a (brand new!) shop vac, fans, and a dehumidifier.  It’s starting to feel dry to the touch but damp to the nose….

My frugal self is just sobbing over how expensive this is all going to be.  I need to remind myself that it is only money…. And it may very well have happened from the next heavy rainstorm so I should let it go that The Magician left the sprinkler running.

Sigh.  At least there is no tearing hurry to get it fixed up right away.  Although perhaps I should research mold before I come to that conclusion….

Thoughts on Coming Home

It’s been a bit hard to come back.  Modern suburban life seems cluttered and full of choices, whereas traveling is very straightforward:  Where are we going to sleep?  What are we going to eat?  What are going to do next?  Whatever it is that is decided, you do one thing at a time.  That is simpler than coming home and facing a messy desk, a month’s worth of mail, and a long to-do list.
Having resumed my life after an absence of five weeks, my initial impressions are:
- I have too much stuff.
- My life is too complicated.
- I want to spend time with people rather than spend time dealing with all this minutia.
I’m sure I’ll be sucked back into the whirlwind we call ordinary life and not even notice these things in three weeks, but I wanted to note them here just the same.